RESIDENTS of Banga village in Kaura Namoda Local Government Area of Zamfara State have been plunged into mourning and disbelief following the gruesome killing of 38 abducted villagers by suspected bandits despite the payment of over ₦50 million in ransom.
The shocking development has once again thrown the spotlight on the deteriorating security situation in parts of northern Nigeria, especially Zamfara, where banditry and mass abductions have become all too common.
Confirming the tragic incident, Mannir Haidara Kaura, Chairman of Kaura Namoda LGA, told News Point Nigeria that 56 villagers were initially abducted during an earlier attack on Banga village.
“From the information I received, 56 were abducted by the bandits. Only 18 have returned. We took them to the hospital where they are currently receiving medical treatment,” he said.
Chairman Kaura further disclosed that the local council, in collaboration with the Zamfara State Government, is making arrangements to visit the grieving families of those who lost loved ones in the horrific ordeal.
A resident of the village, Ibrahim Banga, speaking to News Point Nigeria, offered deeper insight into the tragedy.
He explained that the bandits had demanded ₦1 million per hostage, and after weeks of desperate fundraising, the community managed to raise ₦50 million and delivered it as ransom.
To their utter shock and heartbreak, only 18 abductees were eventually released, with returnees revealing that the remaining 38 hostages were executed slaughtered one by one in captivity by their captors.
“They told us the bandits killed the remaining captives in cold blood,” Banga said, his voice filled with anguish.
“Their deterriorating body was later sent on a local truck for mass burial”, he concluded.
The heartbroken villagers are now calling on both the federal and state governments to urgently step in, with intensified military operations in the area. They say this is the only way to restore peace, rescue anyone still in captivity, and prevent future tragedies.
The security vacuum in many rural communities across Zamfara has allowed criminal gangs to operate with near impunity, abducting villagers, demanding ransoms, and executing captives in cases of non-compliance or suspicion.
While Zamfara reels from the tragedy, security forces recorded a major breakthrough in Niger State where troops of the Nigerian Army, in collaboration with hybrid forces and DSS intelligence, reportedly neutralised no fewer than 45 terrorists in Iburu village, located in Shiroro Local Government Area.
According to security sources, DSS operatives intercepted credible intelligence indicating that a group of terrorists riding on multiple motorcycles were advancing toward Iburu and neighbouring villages for an attack.
“The DSS alerted the soldiers on standby, and a fierce gunfight followed,” the source said. “At least 45 terrorists were killed and dozens of their motorcycles destroyed.”
The operation, which took place on Friday evening, came at a cost. Two operatives of the joint forces lost their lives, and four others sustained severe gunshot wounds.
They are currently being treated at a public hospital in Minna, the state capital.